HOW TO GROW TOMATOES IN A CONTAINER| CONTAINER GARDEN| ULTIMATE GUIDE

Despite what people think tomatoes are ideal for growing in containers, but you must know the kind of tomato seed you are buying in order to know exactly how to help it grow and have a good harvest. 

1- WHAT KIND OF TOMATO ARE YOU GROWING

There are 3 types: 

              1- Indeterminate: which need staking and pinching back as they grow.

              2- Determinate: that require less maintenance.

              3- Semi-determinate: which are excellent in hanging baskets. 

🌱 If you buy an established plant you can Google the variety and place it in one of those 3 categories to know exactly how to care for them for maximum harvest. 

🍃 VARIETIES THAT THRIVE IN A CONTAINER GARDEN 🍃

Determinate: Legend, Tornado, 

Indeterminate: 'Gardener's Delight', 'Sungold'

Semi-determinate: 'Hundreds and Thousands' 

🌱 Now that you know the kind of tomato plant or seed you have, it is time to move to the next step, planting.

 2- PLANTING AND GROWING 

🌱  CONTAINER: They need a 12-18 inch/ 30-45 cm deep filled with soil based potting mix ( this is their ultimate location). 

🌱 CONTAINER TO START THE SEEDS: It is best to start tomatoes in a small pot in early spring. 

◦ Place 4 to 5 seeds on top of the moist seed starter mix on a small pot. 

◦ Cover it with plastic and wrap to keep humidity levels high. 

◦ Place the pot on a warm sunny windowsill. Seed should germinate in 2 weeks
 (if it is cold inside or not much sunlight it will take longer).

◦  Prick on the seedlings into individual pots.

🌱 Plant one plant per container or 2 tomato plants if you are using a grow bag.

🌱 Dig until you can fit the entire plant until you reach the leaves ( the deeper the better because the stems can and will develop better roots using the stem) 

◦  early summer start to harden the plants, acclimatizing them to the bright outdoors over a couple of weeks.

◦  If you purchased indeterminate tomatoes, as they grow you need to give them support, you can do that by using a canes.... or a stick and twin.

If you've never done this before here is a good step by step:

*Pound stake firmly into the ground, about 12” deep, beside tomato plant.

*Tie stalk loosely to the stake using twine as soon as flowers appear. ...

*Continue tying plants to stakes as they grow.

🌱  Remember you should only have one main stem so pinch back any side-shoots that form in the leaf joint.

◦  Once 5 trusses have developed pinch back  the top of the plant two leaves above the last truss. This will ensure all your tomatoes have time to ripen before the frosts. 

🌱 If you have determinate or semi-determinate varieties you let them be, they do not need staking, support or pinching back.

◦  Water plants regularly and feed once a week with liquid 5-5-10 fertilizer after the first flowers have developed. 

3- PROBLEM SOLVING 

🌱 You can prevent most problems by watering and feeding the tomatoes as explained above, you have to be consistent, if you forget to water the fruit will split, you can still eat it, but it doesn't look pretty. 

🌱 Make sure the soil is wet but not soaking wet, erratic watering combined with a lack of calcium in the soil can lead to blossom end rot which makes the bottom of the tomatoes turn a leathery black. 

🌱 In wet summer conditions look out for tomato late blight, this develops chocolate brown patches on leaves and blackening stems. If it is too late and this is happening to the plant, pick all your fruit and let it ripe indoors.

4- HARVESTING AND STORAGE 

🌱 Ripe tomatoes can stay on the plant for a couple of weeks, this will help you "store" them in the best place since tomatoes taste better when eaten fresh, so don't hurry to harvest unless you are going to eat them soon. 

🌱 Tomatoes will keep at room temperature for four or five days. 

🌱 Tomatoes are delicious fresh, but remember that you can can or dried them, as well as made into pickles and chutneys. 

🌱  TIP: If you like me believe in "companion plants" then this is an easy one, if you have a bigger pot, you can also plant carrots, they do great together.🌱 

Want more expert tips on growing Tomato Plants in a Container Garden? Checkout this 3 tips. 

In this time of uncertainty, one thing is certain, if you plant a seed and care for it you will harvest fruit. 


Let's take control back and plant something in our Container Garden!